Various (Adams, Alex (Editor); Miller, Pamela "Cupcakes"; Bukowski, Charles; Montfort, Michael)

Me And Bukowski: The Finish Line (FreeThought Flyer No. 13)

Encinitas, California: FreeThought Publications, 2001. Limited First Edition. Stapled Wrappers. Signed by Pamela "Cupcakes" Miller and photographer Michael Montfort. “I came bouncing into Hank’s living room. I found him sitting in his favorite, overstuffed, gold and brown striped chair, looking like a broken man. ‘What the hell happened to you?’ I asked. He was slumped in his chair with his head down, he slowly looked up at me with those sad, blue eyes, and said, ‘This is it, Red, I can’t do this anymore.’” (first paragraph, “The Finish Line”) From the same publisher as the independent literary journal FreeThought chiefly edited & published by Gary Aposhian (1962-2007), this flyer is one in a series of flyers edited by Alex Adams. This is both “FreeThought Flyer #13” and “Number 3 in a series,” the series being “Me And Bukowski,” which features A.D. Winans, Linda King (see our item no. 7380), Pamela “Cupcakes” Miller, & John Thomas, whereas the previous twelve and subsequent flyers were more broadly themed. Charles Bukowski (1920-1994), the great American cult favorite poet-denizen of the dive bar & the racetrack, met Pamela “Cupcakes” Miller in 1975 through a friend of hers who was familiar with his writing. Pamela (now Pamela Wood) became a lover and muse of Bukowski’s, and she appears as “Tammie” in his 1978 novel Women. She published a memoir in 2010, Charles Bukowski's Scarlet, chronicling her approximately two years with Buk. This oblong chapbook features a story of an afternoon at the Santa Anita Racetrack together during which Miller’s “beginner’s luck” allowed her to win several uninformed bets which irked Buk whose horses were not performing well. This vignette of their relationship provides a mild glimpse of their precarious dynamic as the first paragraph teases a possible separation while the conclusion implies a harmonious connection. Michael Montfort (1940-2008) was a German photographer who frequently shot Bukowski during his later career, and he has published multiple volumes of photos and stories of his time with the reclusive writer. This copy of the limited edition flyer is signed by both Miller and Montfort on the back cover of the chapbook below their printed names. Chapbook in stapled wrappers in oblong manila envelope: limited edition, “limited to 100 numbered and 26 lettered copies signed by the author. This being copy number // [handwritten] ’28' of 100,” per colophon. Chapbook is in very fine condition with no discernible flaws. Envelope is similarly numbered in the lower right corner of recto and in fine condition with only very slight spotting to verso; mild bending to unsealed flap; and very mild bumping to the fine edges and corners. Very Fine / Fine. [Item #7849]

Price: $60.00